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Inspired by the works of Arthur C. Clarke, J.G. Ballard and Philip K. Dick, Infinite Summer sees Michael Lovett’s NZCA Lines “marry sci-fi futurism to personal intimacies” to produce what must surely be one of the funkiest apocalyptic concept albums of all time. Indeed, also featuring former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley and drummer Sarah Jones (Hot Chip, New Young Pony Club), the follow-up to 2012’s self-titled debut may center on […]

Named after a term used for trained assassins he heard in a documentary on espionage, Skilled Mechanics sees trip-hop trailblazer Tricky assemble his own killer team for the most collaborative studio effort of his lengthy career. Some of those on board are no stranger to the world of Adrian Thaws, including regular vocalist Francesca Belmonte who lends her sultry tones to the eerie synth-balladry of “We Begin,” drummer Luke Harris […]

As you’d expect from a founding member of studious classical-electro outfit Clean Bandit, British-Ugandan vocalist/rapper Love Ssega certainly isn’t short on brainpower. Born and raised in South London, the 24-year-old graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, then made the brave decision to quit the aforementioned Grammy winners to finish his Ph.D. in laser sensing. Love Ssega (real name Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka) is just as cultured as he […]

Judging by all the pre-release talk of shunning EDM, steering dance music back into a proper direction and making a piece of art, you’d expect Steve Angello’s second solo LP, Wild Youth, to be something of a game-changer. So it’s slightly baffling to hear that the Stockholm DJ has delivered the kind of unadventurous, generic and largely forgettable record he appears to be rallying against. Indeed, featuring guest appearances from […]

David Bowie, arguably one of the most influential figures in modern music for the past 40-plus years, died on Sunday, Jan. 10 after a battle with cancer. He was 69. While previous rumors of his death in years past were greatly exaggerated, the news has been confirmed by Bowie’s representatives and his son Duncan Jones (via Twitter). The following statement appears on Bowie’s official Facebook page: “David Bowie died peacefully […]

So after crowning Jamie xx’s “Loud Places” and Bob Moses’ Days Gone By as the greatest single and album of 2015 respectively, we now switch our attention to what we can expect to hear over the next twelve months in the world of dance/electronica. The first big album out of the blocks this year is Moth (Jan 22), the third album from alt-pop duo Chairlift, which judging by its first […]

Yeah…I know…another year-end list. You’re going to find lots of Top 20 and Top 50 lists of best albums of 2014 on the Interwebs right about now, but for this list, I wanted to keep it short—narrow it down to five pop/rock albums that aren’t just really, really good (because there are lots of records that could be on that kind of list), but also albums that broke ground artistically […]

A couple of years ago, during a less-than-flattering moment in Lana Del Rey’s emerging career, I wrote an article explaining why we shouldn’t write her off just yet. Ultraviolence is why. Since Born To Die was released (to mixed reviews but impressive sales—the music fans have the final word, after all), Del Rey has been essentially doing two things. First, she’s been giving the world time to get used to […]

Apparently, rumors of Lana Del Rey’s departure from music last summer were greatly exaggerated. At least for now. Wednesday night, at the Hollywood premiere of her 30-minute short film Tropico, Del Rey addressed the crowd: “I really just wanted us all to be together so I could try and visually close out my chapter before I release the new record, Ultra-Violence.” As has been her M.O., she gave no details […]

It’s amazing in this age of social media how two words can create such buzz. The two words in question are “farewell project.” Songstress Lana Del Rey used those two on her Twitter account on August 17, describing her upcoming 30-minute mini-movie Tropico which she has been teasing on Twitter since last month. No further explanation has given. Here’s the actual tweet: Looking forward to seeing you for the […]

Harlem and the entire NYC rap/hip-hop conglomerate must be proud of one of the dopest MC’s to arrive on the scene in years: that flashy MF’er, A$AP Rocky. Fans have been waiting on word about the scheduled release date of his debut album for a minute now. Well, there’s no need to wait any longer. Long. Live. A$AP. January 15th, 2013. Elliot Wilson, one of the biggest names in hip-hop/rap […]

The title of Lana Del Rey’s new EP Paradise presents a bit of irony, because its dark, haunting and troubling themes really speak of anything but. Let me start by saying Lana Del Rey as a persona seems like a real dichotomy to me—a blending of two seemingly incompatible vibes. On the one hand, she comes off as this elegant retro-style torch singer, her low, sultry voice lilting over lush […]